“Great poetry is always written by somebody straining to go beyond what he can do.”
Other Stephen Spender Quotes
When a child, my dreams rode on your wishes, I was your son, high on your horse, My mind a top whipped by the lashes Of your rhetoric, windy of course.
Stephen Spender 
59% of people like this quote
There is a certain justice in criticism. The critic is like a midwife - a tyrannical midwife.
Stephen Spender
58% of people like this quote
When you read and understand a poem, comprehending its rich and formal meanings, then you master chaos a little.
Stephen Spender
54% of people like this quote
Great poetry is always written by somebody straining to go beyond what he can do.
Stephen Spender
51% of people like this quote